The word is that there will be no wholesale clear-out of playing staff at Chelsea next season. Too expensive and, now without European football, too fraught with danger.

The season gone with FA Cup defeat at Everton, how many on Antonio Conte's wish list will see Stamford Bridge as a suitable destination now?

So 'philosophy' is the new buzz-word. That's what the club needs, apparently. A recognisable style, a set of ideas and principles.

Guus Hiddink looks dejected as Chelsea crashed out of the FA Cup, effectively ending their season

The sort of regime that Mauricio Pochettino has installed at Tottenham. Chelsea would no doubt like Pochettino to work for them, too, except the Tottenham manager would surely run a mile if he got the call. Why risk bringing a soaring career to a shuddering halt with Chelsea's short-termism?

As managers go, the winner of the club's last league championship, the winner of its only Champions League title and the winner of its last European trophy, all did not make it to the end of the year. Conte will be confirmed as the 12th manager of Roman Abramovich's 13 years in charge.

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What is it about this constant turmoil, this cavalcade of Portuguese pragmatists, clubbable mates of the owner, Brazilians, Italians, local favourites, local bogeymen and old flames that has failed to produce the coherent clear identity Chelsea so desire? What is it about bowing to dressing-room mutinies, or ditching exemplary professionals such as Frank Lampard and Petr Cech, that fails to produce the character to maintain success? Why can't the youth simply learn from the standards set by Eden Hazard, say, or Diego Costa?

Antonio Conte looks set to be the next man through the door at Stamford Bridge, a 12th boss in 13 years

Conte will be given time, we hear, and that is only fair, but we know what Chelsea time entails. It is one season, plus a bit, at best.

Avram Grant, Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo did not even get that. Carlo Ancelotti won the Double and was dumped a year later, for finishing second.

Abramovich has been at the club for well over a decade now, plenty of time for a philosophy to take hold. Michael Emenalo has been on the staff since 2007, as head scout and then technical director, with recruitment part of his remit. If Chelsea's team is a mismatch of personalities and styles, a loose collection of individuals, rather than a team, whose fault is that?

Chelsea's last 11 signings have been Asmir Begovic, Baba Rahman, Pedro, Papy Djilobodji, Michael Hector, Marco Amelia, Matt Miazga, Kenedy, Radamel Falcao, Alexandre Pato and Danilo Pantic. It is hard to think of a team that has bought as ineffectually in the last year.

Romelu Lukaku's double means Chelsea have little left to fight for, but there will be no wholesale clear-out

There is no philosophy because that is not the way the club works. Chelsea are a collection of quick fixes, previously allied to vast injections of transfer funds, or a new coach.

Real Madrid are the same. If the money thrown at the project is great enough, this may be no obstacle to success in football — but it is never going to shape a club in the manner of Ajax, Barcelona, or even Arsenal.

Chelsea finished sixth in 2012, do not forget, but a Champions League victory from nowhere obscured the failure. If every season is a roll of the dice, however, there is always a chance one throw will come up snake eyes. Yet Chelsea now brief and behave as if stability and the intellectual rigour of a coherent, long-term strategy is what they have sought all along.

It is quite laughable, particularly the seeming implication that only successive managers have denied them this route. Yes, those pesky managers. If only they hadn't kept getting themselves sacked all the time. What a stable, sensible, well-adjusted club Abramovich could have built by now.

Diego Costa, who was sent off in the defeat at Everton, is not a great example for young players to learn from

One of the most distasteful aspects of Maria Sharapova's failed drugs test was how many commentators chose to focus on the PR performance, as much as the offence. Sharapova was credited with controlling the narrative, owning the story, even sophistication.

It reminded of Marion Jones at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, after her husband, shot putter CJ Hunter, had tested positive.

Clearly, this did not reflect well on America's golden girl sprinter, yet time and again Jones was credited with impressively working the room, as she made her way through, charming ranks of journalists. Jones, of course, turned out to be a massive drug cheat, too.

One of the distasteful aspects of Maria Sharapova's failed drugs test was the focus on her PR performance

So Sharapova's smooth public persona is hardly to be admired. Nor does it bear much scrutiny, considering it was claimed she took meldonium due to, among other ailments, a family disposition to diabetes.

A pre-diabetic with her own range of candy? A pre-diabetic who, when publicising her wares, spoke about being rewarded with sweet treats after practice, even as an adult? Presumably she also taste-tested her product? Her attitude to the disease seems, at best, inconsistent.

Anyway, back to reality where Sharapova's saccharine performance has been quickly followed by some hard-nosed brand protection, with the emergence of a legal team to pore through and challenge every statement and aspect of the testers' behaviour, in a bid to reduce her ban.

Sharapova will keep saying that she accepts full responsibility, because her team knows that plays well — while behind the scenes the lawyers attempt to pick apart WADA's case. This reeks.

Yet modern society is so obsessed with image and fame, that many are dazzled by the slickness of the operation, forgetting who the bad guys are.

Fergie prophecy spells doom for Van Gaal

Speaking at a private lunch for leading racing figures prior to the Cheltenham Festival, Sir Alex Ferguson gave his thoughts on the football season so far. There was no need for mind games, and he was not expecting his comments to get out, so we can discount any cunning ruses on his part.

He said he expected Leicester to win the league, with as many as three games to go, that N'Golo Kante was his player of the year — and that the top four would be completed by Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham, with Manchester City and Manchester United missing out.

Providing his words were reported accurately, this is a damning appraisal of Louis van Gaal's influence at United this season. The manager cannot survive if Ferguson is proved correct.

Sir Alex Ferguson watches a recent Manchester United game, and was damning in his verdict of the team

There is only one neutral I know who doesn't want Leicester to win the league. He is a Nottingham Forest fan. His objection isn't part of some deep-seated East Midlands rivalry; he doesn't think Tottenham play better football; he hasn't even got a soft spot for Arsene Wenger. It's about the stealing of thunder.

Until this season, the greatest achievement in the history of the English game was widely credited to Forest, Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Promoted to Division One 1976-77; champions 1977-78; European champions 1978-79; European champions 1979-80.

A few may make a case for Manchester United's treble, or Arsenal's Invincibles, but in terms of a journey, from obscurity to the summit, there has been nothing quite like Forest. Until Leicester.

After earning promotion at Nottingham Forest, Brian Clough led them to the league title the next season

So my friend thinks if Leicester win the Premier League, the achievements of his team will be downgraded. He is not the only one. Forest's players already believe they have been poorly served by the authorities, who are yet to induct them to the Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum.

Now Leicester's rise is thought to be pushing them further towards obscurity. Garry Birtles, who arrived in 1978 and won two European Cups, was upset by West Brom manager Tony Pulis saying a title for Leicester would be the greatest achievement.

'He's wrong,' said Birtles. 'People are disregarding us because of the spending these days. It's money, money, money. I think it's pathetic when we are not recognised for what we did. People are flippantly waving it away as if it's an irrelevance.'

With respect to Birtles, they most certainly are not. Nobody with any feeling for football would downplay the uniqueness of Forest's triumph. What cannot be disputed, however, is that football is different now.

Forest were great at a time when English football remained fluid. Even winning the title as a promoted club wasn't considered impossible. Ipswich did it, too, in season 1961-62. The potential for change was significant in those days. That is why Leicester have so captured imaginations.

Forest, including Garry Birtles (bottom right), went on to win the European Cup in 1979

This season was never supposed to happen. Not anymore. Forest played at a time when football fans still dared to dream; by the 21st century, the dreaming had stopped. The elite few would crow about being champions and then taunt the opposition, 'You'll never sing that song.' And they were right.

A select band had a stranglehold on success, and when financial fair play arrived the door was considered closed, forever. Football had pressed pause and wherever a club was at that moment was where they would remain.

Almost every change to the structure of football in the last 30 years has been designed to push the likes of Leicester further from the top table. That is why so many will regard a title win for them as the pinnacle of achievement.

No slight on Forest is intended but, as miraculous as their rise was, they only had to beat the other teams; Leicester are attempting to overcome an entire system.

And while we're at it...

Premier League clubs are being offered the chance of signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer. The appeal is obvious. Even at 34, he still looked a handful against Chelsea and the six clubs he has signed for — Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan, Barcelona, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain — have all won the league in his first season. It is a stunning record. Yet there is a complication.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be on the way to the Premier League, but it will need a very boadroom to welcome him

'Ibrahimovic is bigger than the owner, bigger than the manager, bigger than everyone,' one Premier League boss explained.

In other words, you don't sign Zlatan — Zlatan signs you. It will take a very bold boardroom to agree to that.

Carl Lewis says the standard of competition in the long-jump event is at an all-time low. He was particularly disdainful of Great Britain's Olympic and world champion, Greg Rutherford.

'The long jump is the worst event in the world right now,' he said. 'Rutherford? I'm sorry, he's doing his best — but he shouldn't be winning.'

Rutherford's gold medal jump in 2012 was 8.31 metres, compared to Lewis's 8.72 to collect gold at Seoul in 1988.

Then again, Rutherford has not had three failed drug tests covered up by the authorities, as also happened to Lewis in 1988. That could explain it.

Steve McClaren spent his first day at Newcastle dodging the press to best serve the club's media partners. It was the beginning of the end right there.

He never looked in control and when friends tried to raise the subject would respond with mealy-mouthed obfuscation.

Rafa Benitez showed in the way he has handled his entrance that he is already an upgrade on Steve McClaren

Rafa Benitez, by contrast, came in and set out his strategies to all, like a grown-up. No doubt the club has learned from its past mistakes, too.

Yet one imagines Benitez knows the job is tough enough without introducing worthless complications. He is not just happy to be in the job. Immediately, that is an upgrade.

Two leaders in the world of sports marketing, Ironman CEO Andrew Messick and Philippe Blatter, president of Infront Sports and Media, will be speaking at a SportsPro Live event at Wembley on March 22.

Messick will explain how he has driven the expansion of the Ironman brand across the world, leading to a takeover from Chinese investment group Wanda Sports Holding; and Philippe Blatter will explain how, career-wise, it doesn't half help if your uncle runs football.

Mark Sampson, coach of England's women, returned excited from three matches in the SheBelieves Cup in America.

'We've gone toe to toe with the best in the world,' he said. 'I'm told these teams should be our benchmark, but our benchmark now is to be No 1 and have them trying to catch up England. The way the team are moving forward, we'll get more chances and start executing them.'

Exciting times ahead. And just imagine how positive Sampson would have been had England actually won a game.

If Juventus keeper Gianluigi Buffon keeps a clean sheet against Torino for the first four minutes on March 20, he will break the Serie A record for time without conceding a goal, 929 minutes.

Buffon is 38 and has already surpassed Dino Zoff's club record, 903 minutes. Goalkeepers last longer, but age is a number, no more. It is surprising how many clubs forget that.

Gianluigi Buffon could break the Serie A record for time without conceding, at the age of 38